Why the sudden popularity of 12 inch arms

Dear Downunder: I can't for sure answer your question. Many people here already give you some differents answers and all of them ( one way or the other ) could be right.

As you know I'm already in a tonearm design where I'm learning how complex is a tonearm design/build.

Cero tracking error is a desired goal in any tonearm design and in a pivoted one the theory tell us that a larger arm has lower tracking error, good but this tonearm atribute/subject alone means really very little about the performance tonearm, there are other factors/goals that could be more important to the whole tonearm performance: bearing, build material, effective mass, static/dynamic balance, isolation, internal wire, etc, etc.

My experiences with a lot of tonearms ( any size you want , including linear trackers. ) and with a lot of different cartridges tell me that that lower tracking error is not so critical ( because is very small anyway. ) like you can think about.

Now, that person that post here that through a long SME his cartridge sound performance level goes up means that that cartridge is better " served "/match with that tonearm but not because is a long type tonearm, this new tonearm is a different tonearm ( not only in its internal wire ) than the one he normally use it. So we can't say that a long type tonearms sounds better or have some kind of signature sound performance advantage because it does not have it perse.

Any well designed tonearm ( short or long ) can/could perform in a great way with the right cartridge.

The same for the people that thinks that the linear tracking tonearms are better because has cero tracking distortion and mimic how the LP was cut/recording. IMHO any one of these people that favor the linear tracking tonearms over the pivoted ones happen that any one of them never had/have the opportunity to hear a pivoted tonearm with its right matched cartridge, that's all. Yes I know that them already heard a lot of pivot tonearm but maybe never the right tonearm/cartridge combination!!!!!

All those theoretical advantages about tonearm tracking error in long tonearms and in linear traking ones are really too relative not only for what I already posted here but because all the recording LP process is not a perfect one and not a perfect one the cartridge/tonearm set up so that theoretical advantage are far from be a real advantage and more important that that theoretical advantage was/is the main cause of a better quality sound performance.

There are many subjects to discuss about and maybe in other time we can/could do it, it will be very learning for all of us.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Raul, Please read my response again. Slowly. I changed one component. The only proper way to evaluate a new addition. I could hear the geometry change with my other arm. If you have your Lustre set up properly, you will hear it too. This 312 is light years ahead of our beloved 801. In addition to the geometry, it is quieter, faster, and more detailed. I suppose you could say the 312 matches my cart better, I am not using a 25 year old cart with my 25 year old arm! Z.

Zieman, it's not my place to walk Raul's dog for him so I'll offer a comment for all to consider.

You may have changed only one component but you changed multiple parameters. Not only degrees of tracing error but also mass, stiffness, bearing design and quality, resonant frequency, and wire (considerations just off the top of my head). I hope no one would disagree that you heard improved sound. But so many factors are involved that it is not fair to attribute that improvement solely to a longer arm.

From reading Raul's post slowly, that is MY conclusion.

Pryso, The original question was why the 12s are back. I thought I answered fairly well in my first response. Perhaps only five years ago a 12 inch arm would NOT have shown this dramatic an improvement. Again, (slowly) I think that many former disadvantages to the 12 have been eliminated. Materials research and manufacturing capabilities have not stood still. As far as I know the laws of physics have. Z.

Well, I think, there are some reasons why the 12's are back.
Mainly based on marketing reasons, because they can be sold.
That's it.
The technical reasons, well, most manufacturers are not stupid, they know how to build a good arm, some offer both, sell both and honestly, who cares. Some of them say, no one needs a 12 Arm, some reviewers write, they can not live without one....
In a way, it is like Raul wrote, when you have the perfect match, no one cares. Some time ago I listened to such a match and honestly, I simply couldn't believe it. It was a old FR64 Arm with a Koetsu on a real super Turntable.
When I closed my eyes ( a "Blind test" ) I really thought " I'm listening to an Air Tracking Arm". But, the Table was really a good one.
Some Arms can compensate Errors from the Turntable/Cartridge more or less, but at the end of day I think, the 12s look cool.